Resolutions
by AwesomePossumx
Summary: It's New Years Eve and the Doctor isn't exactly thrilled to go to Jackie's annual party. However, when he picks up a mysterious black notebook lying on the TARDIS floor, New Years ends up becoming an enjoyable occasion after all. And he may even make some rather fun resolutions of his own. Ten/Rose New Years Special.


"Did you have to tell them that you were a Time Lord?" Rose groaned as she kicked the Doctor lightly in the shin. "Your species should be called the Time Idiots instead of the Time Lords."

"Oi!" he said defensively, pacing the small cell that they were currently trapped in. "How was I supposed to know that the Tyranibularians had some issues with Time Lords? Besides, even if I hadn't mentioned the fact that I was a Time Lord we probably would have ended up in jail anyways."

"They were about to crown you as their king!" Rose exclaimed in frustration, laying down on the small single bed. "I remember it very clearly, Doctor. They said 'Glory to the new highborn king of the Tyrannosauruses!'"

He huffed out a heavy breath and sat down on the bed next to her, swinging his legs and staring at the wall in front of him. "They're called the Tyranibularians, not the tyrannosauruses. That's a species of dinosaur."

"You know what I mean!" she snapped. "They were about to make you their king and then you turned to me and said, 'oh look Rose, instead of a Time Lord I'm going to be a Time _King_ now,'" Rose did a bad imitation of his voice. "And then they were like, 'you're a Time Lord?' and of course you jumped at the opportunity to blabber away about how you're the last of the Time Lords and how you're the most amazing being to ever walk the galaxy."

"I do not blabber," he said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Nor do I sound anything like that. Anyways, I'll get us out of this cell easily. I have my sonic screwdriver."

"Good, because today is December thirty-first, you know."

He hummed, "Mhmm. What's so special about December thirty-first?"

"Don't you remember?" she said, standing up as he pointed his screwdriver at the lock. "Tomorrow is New Years Day."

"Time machine," the Doctor reminded her, "it can be New Year's Day all year long if we want it to be."

"Well, for me it's New Year's Day tomorrow, and my Mum is throwing her annual party."

Sarcasm was thick in his voice, "That sounds like a blast."

"Good, because you're going," Rose stated, folding her arms across his chest.

He stopped toying with the lock to stare at her, his mouth dropping open. "I am?"

She nodded coyly, "Mhmm."

"But... Your Mum's New Years party?" he groaned like a child who didn't want to go to the dentist. "She might... Um... Hit me!"

"One time," Rose groaned, "one time she hit you. Besides, she likes you a lot better in this body." He didn't say anything so she tugged on his coat and got closer to him, looking up at his eyes through her lashes. "Pleaseee?"

He stared at her for a moment before sighing in defeat, "Okay, I'll go to the party. But if they don't have edible ball bearings then I'm out."

Rose laughed and kissed him on the cheek before nodding for him to return to the lock. He lowered himself onto his knees to work on it, but in reality he just really really didn't want her to see him blushing. Sometimes he really wished Rose wouldn't kiss him, his body's reaction was just too embarrassing.

* * *

They were out of the cell quickly, and after a bit of vigorous running they were back inside the TARDIS, panting and smiling at each other. "Well," Rose said, her eyes twinkling with joy, "that was fun. Now, I'm going to go take a shower, and then we'll go to the party in a bit, yeah?"

"Sounds like a plan," he replied, watching as she half-ran and half-walked back down the corridor towards her bedroom.

The Doctor sighed, running a hand through his hair and feeling sweat there. He quickly decided that, even if it wasn't a party he was thrilled about, showering would probably do him good, too. He set off down the corridor towards his own bedroom but froze when he saw a tiny black object on the ground. When he leaned over to pick it up he examined it closely, surprised to see that it was a regular journal with a blank cover.

He flipped it open to the first page and saw Rose's name written there, along with a date. _August 24th, 2002._ Several pages had been ripped out of the book and it had seen a lot of use over the years, that much was obvious with only a single flip through it. Immediately he started walking towards Rose's bedroom, since she had probably dropped it while walking there and would like it returned.

But then he stopped walking and frowned, flipping to the second page of the book that was after the one with her name. The title at the top of the page read "New Years Resolutions" in her lovely print handwriting. He ran a finger over the title and tried to stop his eyes from reading any lower.

Because there was a lot written on that page. And his name was in it.

A lot of stuff he desperately wanted to look at but at the same time he knew for a fact that her door was right over there and that he should really, _really_ return it to her. But at the same time his room was right behind him and he could just duck in there, read it all, place it back on the TARDIS floor and Rose would never know.

When he heard her singing in the shower he did the latter. As soon as he had entered his room he shut and locked the white door, his heart beating rapidly as if he was about to commit the worst felony imaginable.

_New Years Resolutions  
December 30th_

_1) Stop picking nails  
2) Wake up (somewhat) earlier  
3) Visit family more often  
4) Admit feelings to the Doctor_

The Doctor froze in the midst of reading it and shut the journal, sitting down on his bed and staring wide eyed at the cover. Surely this was some sort of trick. It's not like Rose Tyler would _actually_ have romantic feelings for him. Maybe she meant admit her friendly feelings. Maybe she wanted to tell him that he was her best friend. That would be okay. Unable to resist curiosity, he opened up the journal again and looked back at the page.

_5) Kiss the Doctor_

He shut it again and his hearts were racing faster than they ever had before, his left one just a millisecond ahead of his right one. The Doctor let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and opened up the book again.

_6) Visit Jack Harkness again  
7) Try more new foods  
8) Drink more water_

And that was it. He flipped through several more pages of the journal looking for more but most were either ripped out or plain grocery lists and random photos glued to pages.

So he sneaked back out into the hallway and lowered the book onto the ground, adjusting it inch by inch until he was sure it was in the exact same position he had found it in. Then he entered his room again, grabbed a fresh pinstripe suit, and entered the shower.

* * *

Rose stepped out of the shower and felt immediately amazing, her body fresh and her hair smelling like bananas. Hopefully the Doctor would like that shampoo on her. Then she blow-dried her hair briefly and straightened it out with a flat iron before putting on a red dress that she knew accentuated her breasts and bum well. The dress came down just above her knees and was lacy at the bottom and top, held by only two thin straps. She wore a black cardigan on top of it and matching high heels that she would be lucky if she could take two steps in.

As she twirled around in the mirror for herself, she felt confident the Doctor would notice. He'd probably notice it in his Time Lord-y way of just staring at her with his mouth gaping and swallowing one or two times before he could manage any coherent noise. After a touch of makeup and some last minute touches including a black pearl necklace, she stepped out of her bedroom and saw the Doctor standing in the console room, rubbing his hands together as he always did when he was nervous.

She stared at him and smiled brightly, "Doctor, are you ready?"

He looked up at her and, sure enough, his mouth opened and he swallowed three times, instead of one or two. Eventually he returned the grin, tugging on his ear somewhat awkwardly and saying, "Ready as I'll ever be! The party will be great! Are you excited?"

Rose raised an eyebrow at his sudden change in attitude and then nodded, "Yes, I am."

"Let's go then, I promise I won't be late," he said as he flew the TARDIS, flipping a lever and pushing a few buttons.

Soon the TARDIS made its groaning noise and they stepped out of the police box doors to find themselves right outside of the Powell Estate. Rose grabbed his hand in hers and together they walked towards the building.

"Is that a new tie?" she asked, looking at him. "I haven't seen you wear it before."

"Actually, yeah, it is," he said, blushing. "And um, I, uh, like your dress. Is that... Um... New?"

She wanted to laugh at his awkwardness but she was scared that would discourage him so instead she just squeezed his hand and replied, "Yeah, it is. The TARDIS gave it to me."

They were silent for the rest of the short walk and then he was knocking loudly on Jackie Tyler's door. Jackie herself answered the door wearing a fancy black and white dress and holding a bottle of champagne in her hand. "Rose, sweetheart!"

The two embraced while the Doctor watched them amusedly. When Rose was released, Jackie turned to him and hugged him as well, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek which he wiped off with the back of his hand. "Hi Jackie," he said politely.

Jackie herded them inside where Rose greeted several relatives, introducing each and every one of them to the Doctor. Eventually the Doctor lost her in the large crowd of people and relatives. Jackie felt a tugging on her arm as she was pouring more champagne, and when she looked to her left she saw the Doctor staring at her with big, pleading eyes.

"Can I talk to you, Jackie?" he said quietly, turning his head to make sure that Rose was nowhere nearby.

Jackie nodded and took him into her bedroom, shutting the door and enjoying the quietness that now surrounded them. "What is it, sweetheart?"

The Doctor paced a few steps back and forth and buried his head in his hands, "I, er, um... I..."

"Spit it out, Doctor," Jackie laughed.

"I need advice," he said quickly, stopping his frantic pacing to stare her in the eyes. "It's about Rose."

Jackie's expression instantly got cold, "What did you do to her? Is she pregnant? If she's bloody pregnant I swear to God you stupid Time Lord I _will_ eat you alive!"

"She's not pregnant!" The Doctor took a few steps back and grimaced as if expecting to be hit. "She's not pregnant, I swear Jackie! We're not even in a relationship like that."

The woman softened and she rested her hand on the Doctor's arm, "Then what's wrong?"

"I was in the corridor of the TARDIS and there was this book laying on the ground. This black book. And I know I shouldn't have taken it but it was just laying there and Rose was in the shower and I didn't know what to do and I was so curious and... And... Tyrannosauruses!"

Jackie gestured towards the bed and sat down, the Doctor next to her. "You're talking too fast for me. One second you're talking about black books and the next you're talking about some dinosaurs. What happened?"

"Okay," the Doctor let out a deep breath and tried to recall the events slowly, "there was a book in the TARDIS hallway. I picked it up because I was curious. I opened it up and Rose's New Years resolutions were in there, right?"

Jackie nodded, "She writes them down every year. It's a good habit, I think. She always writes eight of them."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes, there were eight. But two of them..."

"Were about you?" Jackie guessed.

He nodded sadly, "And I don't know what to do! One of them was for her to _kiss_ me! What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well," Jackie said sarcastically, "I'm going to take a wild guess and assume that means she wants to kiss you."

"_Me?_ Rose wants to kiss me? But I'm... And she's..." He waved his hands in a vague hand gesture. "And the other one said she wanted to reveal her feelings for me! I already know that I'm her best friend! What other feelings are there to reveal?"

"Maybe feelings that have to do with her wanting to kiss you."

"Like... Romantic feelings? Like love?" the Doctor stared at Jackie in disbelief.

She tried not to laugh at his ignorance, "Yes, like love. You do love her, right?"

"I..." he frowned, "I do. You're right Jackie!" He kissed her on the cheek and stood up, clapping his hands together. "I love Rose Tyler! You're absolutely right! I am in love with Rose Tyler! Oh! I've got to tell her! I've got to kiss her!"

"That's a bit too much information for me, Doctor," Jackie said, standing up and patting him on the back. "Good luck. I'd take her somewhere private instead of screaming it to the world."

He grinned brightly at her, "Thank you so much for this Jackie! You're the best!"

Jackie didn't know what she had done to cause such a change in him, but she just nodded and he burst out the door to find Rose. _That bloody Doctor,_ Jackie thought, _he can probably create five hundred different gadgets out of a paper clip and a pen but when it comes to love he's clueless._

The Doctor burst out into the crowd, mumbling 'excuse me' and 'pardon me' as he looked around for Rose. Eventually he spotted her lovely red dress, and saw she was currently talking to Mickey and smiling brightly. The Doctor approached them, "Mick Mick Mickity! How are you doing?"

"Great, how are you boss?" Mickey replied joyfully. "Happy New Years."

"You too. Now, listen, do you mind if I steal Rose for a minute?"

The other man nodded, "She's all yours."

Rose raised an eyebrow as the Doctor dragged her to her bedroom, bouncing on his heels with excitement. As soon as they entered her room and shut the door, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Is something wrong?"

He hugged her tightly and then ran a hand through his hair, "Nope, nothing is wrong! I just wanted to talk to you!"

"About what?"

The Doctor felt a wave of nervousness sweep through him as he realized he was actually about to have this conversation. He was about to have this conversation with Rose Tyler. The one and only Rose Tyler.

"Um... Well, I was talking to Jackie, and, er..." The Doctor tugged on his ear and averted his eyes from hers.

She frowned, "You always tug on your ear when you're nervous. What's wrong?"

"I love you," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Several emotions ran through Rose at once, but confusion topped all of them in a few seconds. "You what?"

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he repeated, suddenly feeling naked and bare in front of her as he exposed his raw emotions. Sure, he had considered the fact that he may love Rose Tyler before, but now it was a reality as he showed her his true feelings. "Um... Yeah. That's all I wanted to say, really."

"That's it?" she scoffed, "Just I love you?"

"Am I supposed to say something else?" he asked worriedly. "Am I forgetting something?"

"Doctor, I'm not sure what-"

He put a finger on her lips and took her wrist in his hand, checking the time. 11:59p.m. "It's 11:59," he said, eyes widening.

"Yeah, so?"

"The next minute is midnight."

Rose smiled, "And?"

"There's that human tradition, yeah? And, um, I've never participated in it, but, er, if you'd give me your permission... Then... Uh... Well, I wouldn't mind trying new cultural things. Such as that human tradition. So... Er..."

Rose glanced down at her watch again. 12:00p.m. She wrapped her hands around the Doctor's neck and met her lips to his, smiling at the wonderful flavor that tasted like a mixture of time energy and bananas. They kissed for two minutes, only breaking away a few times for air. Rose smiled against his lips and pulled him even closer, pressing her chest up against his.

His hands moved to her hips as he pulled away from her lips, grinning like a mad man. Rose laughed at him, "And by the way, Doctor, if you couldn't tell, I love you too."

"Really?" The Doctor's eyes widened. "You love me? Like actually?"

She nodded, "Yes, I love you like actually. You're so stupid." Rose kissed him again and this time he melted into it and took more control, bringing her body towards him and slowly walking her towards the bed. "There's another human tradition that I'd love to partake in, you know?"

He frowned, "What's that? I know about most human traditions and I'm not sure..." Rose began lifting his shirt over his head while kissing him to shut him up. When she broke away to remove the shirt fully he raised an eyebrow, "I'm not sure I've heard of this tradition. What is it?"

By the end of the night, it was his favorite tradition of all.

* * *

**A/N: **Happy New Years! Have you guys made resolutions? Because I have absolutely none. I should be a bit more optimistic like Rose. Anyways, I won't be writing again until next year. (Shh I know that was a bad joke but I had to do it.) I hope you enjoyed this simple and cute story and have fun staying up until midnight! :) Please review if you liked it!


End file.
